Necessity
by Caramelized
Summary: One finds it excessive. The other finds it necessary. In the end, it's an appreciated gesture... for the most part.


**Necessity**

Yi Jung pulled up in the narrow driveway and checked his watch. In about 5 minutes, he'd finally be taking Ga Eul out on a _real_ date, no hesitation, no doubt. He sighed and leaned back against the car's headrest. Deciding to calm his nerves, he closed his eyes. After a few moments of steady breathing, Yi Jung smiled wryly to himself.

_When has a girl ever made him nervous?_

The night was quiet besides the hum of the car's engine. He rolled his shoulders back and opened his eyes. Checking the time again, Yi Jung turned his head towards the house. He glanced up at the second floor window that he assumed was Ga Eul's by the curtains… The light was still on, but he figured she would be done and come out to meet him soon enough. He shifted in his seat, smoothed out his suit jacket, and adjusted his collar. Yi Jung found his eyes wandering back to the lit window. Taking his phone out, he debated if he should call her…

_No… then he'd become the slave. He waited _four_ years. A few minutes wouldn't be unbearable… _

Leaning back against the head rest again, _what could be taking her so long?_ _Make up? She doesn't wear that much… does she? _

Yi Jung pulled out his phone and flipped through his pictures until he found the silly pictures she made him take of her at the Namsan stairs. Looking at her beaming face, he felt a grin grow on his face. He went through every picture she had him take of her, laughing every once in a while at her ridiculous props and faces until he reached the ones he took without her knowing.

_Well she _did_ find out later when he dropped his phone beating up those guys as her bodyguard_.

Regardless, he studied the picture carefully. He honestly liked these better than her posed ones… she wasn't acting pretty… she just was. Sighing again, he rolled his head to look at the still-lit window. Then he remembered why he pulled out his phone in the first place. He turned back to his phone and squinted at the bright screen, scanning for makeup. The only things he could make out from the pixels were possible traces of mascara and maybe lip gloss… _So then what's taking so long?_

He ran a hand through his hair roughly before checking the time again. 10 minutes after their scheduled time. Yi Jung shut the engine off and got out of his car. He forced himself to take calm, even steps to the front door. Just because he felt anxious inside, that didn't mean he had to show it.

Straightening his posture, he knocked confidently on the door. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a groggy looking… Ga Eul? Yi Jung stood on her doorstep, stock-still. He watched her rub her sleep filled eyes with incredulity.

"Sunbae? What are you doing here?"

_She forgot, didn't she._

When he didn't answer her, Ga Eul pursed her lips, "Sunbae? Did something happen?"

Wordlessly, Yi Jung pulled her inside her own house, unsure of how he should feel. He felt a tug on his hand and he looked back to see the worry building in Ga Eul's eyes.

"Sunbae, talk to me. What happened?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, "Ga Eul-yang, do you want me gone already?"

Her frustrated huff brought a grin to his face. He turned away from her and took in their surroundings. Her house was quiet and dark except for the light near the front door where they were moments ago… and the room upstairs? Yi Jung's brow furrowed.

_Was she here alone? _

"Sunbae."

His eyes went back to her face, "Are your parents home?"

She shook her head slowly, "No, they went to visit some friends for the weekend. Sunbae, you still haven't told me why you're here. What happened? "

"The light coming from the second floor window… is that your room?"

"Yes… Sunbae—"

He raised his eyebrows at her, "Were you sleeping with the lights on?"

Ga Eul puffed her cheeks out, "I just fell asleep, okay? I was really tired and my bed was really comfortable… But sunbae, what's going on?"

Yi Jung shook his head before turning around to fully face her. He took her hands in his and mustered up the most heartbroken face he could manage, "Ga Eul-yang, you forgot about me."

She pursed her lips and studied his pouting face. _What is he talking about—!_

Without warning, Ga Eul slipped her hands away from Yi Jung's grasp and ran upstairs. After entering her room, she shut the door behind her quickly and locked it. She heard his delayed cry of protest, "Yah! Ga Eul-yang! What are you doing?"

She slid down against her door and stared at the wall incredulously. _How could she forget?! She was so tired coming back from work… she only wanted to take a small nap. How did she over sleep so much?_

"Ga Eul-yang… Where are you? I can't see anything…"

Biting her lip, she called out, "Sunbae… how long did you wait?"

His footsteps neared her door and stopped, "About 20 minutes… I got impatient. I wanted to see you."

Ga Eul felt her cheeks flush. "Ga Eul-yang, are you blushing now?"

Her mouth dropped in indignation before letting out an audible scoff. She heard his muffled laughter through the door.

"That's a yes, then?"

Ga Eul decided to remain silent. _Let him fumble in the dark._ A few moments later, she heard the door knob rattle.

"Yah, Ga Eul-yang. Why is your door locked? Let me in."

"No."

"What? Why?"

"Give me 20 more minutes! I'm… sorry I forgot. I overslept after coming back from work and—"

"It's fine, but let me in please?"

"Sunbae… are you afraid of the dark?"

There was a beat of silence before he replied, "No… I'm just blind out here."

"Whatever you say, Sunbae."

Ga Eul stood up to go to her closet when she felt Yi Jung rest on her door and murmur, "I'd much rather be blinded by your beauty than the dark."

Flushing again, she timidly opened the door to find Yi Jung leaning against her door frame, amused smile intact.

"It's just too easy to make you red in the face, Ga Eul-yang."

She met his gaze evenly before slamming the door in his face.

"Yah! Ga Eul-yang!"

"Just… wait a little bit longer for me, Sunbae."

On the other side of the door, Yi Jung sighed as he listened to her fading footsteps. He rolled from the door frame onto the wall and let his head fall forward with a soft thud, "I feel like I should be saying that to you, Ga Eul-yang."

Settling himself against the wall, he turned his head so his ear was pressed against the surface. He could faintly make out the sounds of Ga Eul muttering to herself and the occasional grunt of frustration. Now that he knew she was here and accidentally overslept, he felt his nerves calm. Closing his eyes, he decided to take a nap, mentally taking a note to ask her about why work has her so tired. Before finally drifting off, he heard a particularly irritated grumble and smiled to himself.

_I've missed you, Ga Eul-yang._

At the sound of her name, Ga Eul turned from the pile of clothes on the ground to her locked door. She softly padded over and listened intently. Hearing nothing, she tentatively called out, "Sunbae?"

No response. She hesistated, "…Yi Jung-ah?"

Ga Eul was still met with silence. She frowned and with a quiet click, she unlocked the door and peeked outside to find Yi Jung fast asleep against the wall. Her eyes softened as she took in his relaxed posture. Slowly, Ga Eul bent down and brushed his bangs to the side, fingers lingering by his temple. She trailed them down to his cheeks when she felt him nuzzle her hand and mumble something incoherently. Ga Eul bit her lip and observed his sleeping face. Leaning in, she pecked his cheek and returned to her bedroom for a blanket.

She carefully draped the covers over him before heading down the stairs quietly.

_Since he's this tired… they won't go out. She'll make dinner for him right here. _

-soeulmates-

Yi Jung scrunched his eyes at the dim light coming from the slightly open door next to him. Rolling his stiff neck, he stole a glance at the clock on the wall. _He'd been asleep for… an hour?!_ He stood up quickly but stumbled against the wall from the head rush. Feeling a sudden chill, he noticed the blanket pooled at his feet. Picking it up gingerly, the delicate smell of peaches mixed with his cologne filled his senses.

_Thank you, Ga Eul-yang._

A sharp clatter and a low curse snapped his attention back to the open door.

_Wait… open door?_

As silently as he could, Yi Jung peered through the door, blanket still in his grasp. He saw Ga Eul staring at a compact mirror intensely, a mascara brush discarded on the table. Deciding to walk in, he dropped the blanket on her bed and made his way to stand behind her, studying her reflection in the small mirror as well. He leaned down and whispered, "Does makeup really take an hour to finish?"

Ga Eul whipped around in alarm, "Sunbae?"

Yi Jung straightened up and squeezed his eyes shut. Ga Eul's hair just about flossed his eyes for him. After a mumbled "sorry", he felt her hands gently knock his hands away before soothing his eyelids with her smooth fingers. Smiling at the sensation, he brought his arms up to bring her closer, hands resting against her back.

As she lightly brushed his eyes, she murmured, "I didn't really start until a few minutes ago… I made dinner for us so we don't need to go out. Especially since you looked so tired when you were sleeping in the hallway…"

Her fingers moved away and he blinked a few times. Once his vision focused again, he held his breath as he took in Ga Eul's face. He had seen her plenty without makeup, but whatever she did now only helped accentuated her features. Forcing down a blush and the lump in his throat, he muttered, "Ga Eul-yang… you didn't have to do that."

She smiled at him, "I thought it was necessary."

Yi Jung felt his face break into the smile that only she could bring out, "…Thank you."

She nodded quietly and they stayed in a comfortable silence. He studied her face again.

_If he brought her a little closer… he could reach her lips and—no. Not yet. She's different._

He settled with simply having her in his arms. After a few moments, he felt the heat start to rise in his cheeks. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he asked in a strained voice, "Done yet?"

When she looked at him in confusion, he nodded towards her makeup for clarification. Realization dawned on her face. She turned away from him, meekly muttering, "Just lipstick and blush left. Though I might need some new blush…"

Yi Jung reluctantly let his arms fall away from her body as she moved towards her table. He watched as she picked up a lip liner and started tracing her lips. Gulping as silently as he could, he grimaced when his stomach lurched violently.

_Clean thoughts, Yi Jung. This is _not_ the time to lose it_. _Do _not _think about what else could trace her lips—Why hasn't she finished yet? Is she aware of the power she hold over him?_

Fidgeting uncomfortably, he shifted his gaze upwards and asked, "Are you done?"

"No."

He returned his eyes to see Ga Eul finish lining her bottom lip. The lurch came again, only ten times sronger. Shutting his eyes, he groaned to himself, "Why so long…"

He heard an audible huff and he cracked an eye open. Ga Eul stood in front of him, holding out her lip liner and lipstick. When he opened both eyes and raised an eyebrow, she snapped, "It's only been a few seconds! If you're so impatient, why don't you try?"

Matching her gaze, he countered, "Fine. I'll even finish the rest of your makeup. I'm an artist after all."

Taking the items from her, Yi Jung took a step closer, smirking when she took an unconscious step back.

"Ga Eul-yang, I thought you wanted me to do this for you?"

She slapped his arm in response. She stood still this time when he approached her and brought a hand up to lift her chin. Ga Eul felt the blood rush to her cheeks when she saw his eyes fixed hungrily on her lips. With a slow and careful hand, Yi Jung lined the bottom of her lips. He cheered inwardly when he felt the heat radiate from her cheeks.

Done with the lip liner, he reached behind her to set it down and switched to the tube of lipstick. Going back to his previous position, he noticed Ga Eul looking everywhere in the room but him. Lifting his hand to her chin again, he locked eyes with her before cautiously dabbing on her lipstick. From his peripheral vision, he noticed she had turned a shade darker. In a low voice, he teased her, "Ga Eul-yang. Doesn't this remind you of our fake date?"

Ga Eul nodded faintly, not sure if her face could get any redder. She felt Yi Jung move closer, his breath fanning over her parted lips.

"Only this one is real."

She let her eyes flutter shut and waited for something, anything, to happen. She felt him move even closer and linger by her mouth before leaning away to continue coloring her lips nonchalantly. Her eyes snapped open and noticed the mirth in his eyes. Ga Eul shot him an annoyed glance, "Was that necessary?"

Yi Jung met her exasperated glare evenly and smirked, "Of course. Your lovely blushing face is a necessity in my life."

Seeing her blush further, he chuckled. "Ga Eul-yang, just about anything I do makes you red in the face, hmm?"

She spluttered, making his stable hand falter and mark color outside of her lips. Yi Jung moved to fix it but she beat him to it. Before he could continue coloring her lips, her indignant look stopped him.

"Well, what about you? What makes you red in the face?"

He flashed her a crooked smile, "Nothing, really."

She pouted, causing the pigment to go outside her lip again. He brought his thumb up to rub away his mistake but her finger already swiped it away. Yi Jung continued his coloring but noticed his normally steady hand faltering. She wiped away his slip-ups and eyed him with an expression that said, "Not so easy, huh?"

He rolled his eyes and went on with the application. After a few more stray marks, he wondered if she was fidgeting on purpose to make it more difficult… or if he was really that distracted. In their silence, Ga Eul's lips had slowly closed, halting Yi Jung's progress. He nudged her chin and whispered, "Ga Eul, could you open your mouth please?"

His eyes widened at what else his question could entail, but Ga Eul didn't seem notice at all. She parted her lips and waited for him to finish applying her lipstick. With a shaking hand, Yi Jung brought the lip stick to her lips and started dabbing the color closer to the inside of her mouth. Then, a rather sharp twitch in his hand caused him to dab the lipstick far too close to her teeth.

He immediately withdrew the lipstick and set it down as Ga Eul pursed her lips together. She brought a finger to her mouth when Yi Jung stopped her. Raising an eyebrow at him, he quickly responded, "Let me fix it. Your fingers are colored enough already."

She shrugged and waited. When he made no movement to fix her lipstick, she grinned mischievously, "Sunbae?"

Yi Jung shifted his weight uneasily, "How do I…"

"Give me your finger."

Taking in Ga Eul's expression, he eyed her warily, "Why?"

Shrugging again, Ga Eul lifted a finger to her mouth when Yi Jung stopped her again and offered his finger. Smiling at him, she locked eyes with him before putting his finger into her mouth and closing her lips around it. She watched in delight when his already pink cheeks blossomed into a bright red as she slowly drew his finger out of her mouth, leaving behind a cherry red streak.

Yi Jung's mind went haywire as he felt himself "fix" Ga Eul's lipstick. _What did that act accomplish? Lipstick couldn't be removed that way!_ Her bubbly laughter broke him out of his thoughts and he quickly looked at his finger.

…_Guess that method does work._

"'Nothing, really', huh, Sunbae?"

Yi Jung glared at her, "Was this really necessary?"

"Your flushed face is a necessity in my life as well, Sunbae. Besides, you wanted to help me remove the lipstick. This is the most effective way to remove lipstick residue on the inside of the mouth."

He sighed and ran a hand over his burning face. Then, an idea struck.

_He knew another technique that could remove lipstick just as effectively…_

Ga Eul's laughter died down when she saw Yi Jung advance towards her, eyes locked on her lips. The look in his eyes was the same as when he was applying her lipstick… Less focused, more… something else she wasn't sure she was ready to admit.

She unconsciously took a step back but was instantly drawn back by Yi Jung's arms. A tingle ran through her body as he held her closer, still staring hard at her mouth. As he drew nearer, Ga Eul murmured, "Sunbae…?"

Without a pause, Yi Jung swiftly mended the gap between them. She melted from the warmth of his lips and the softness they provided. Feeling her posture weaken against him, he tightened his grip on her waist and gently caressed her lips with his. A moan slipped past her throat and she felt a flush spread across her cheeks.

Encouraged by the sound, Yi Jung deepened the kiss eagerly, ignoring the churning in his stomach. Ga Eul wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. She let out a soft gasp when his tongue swept across her lips.

Yi Jung felt her shy away from the action, but he followed and kept his mouth glued to hers. Even with her mouth closed, she felt him nibble gently on her bottom lip. Not wanting to scare her, Yi Jung stopped the nibbling and continued to move his lips languidly over hers. The tender but firm pressure his lips brought prompted her to slightly open her mouth and Yi Jung took the opportunity to bring her lower lip into his mouth.

Ga Eul weaved her fingers through his hair while his hands moved up her back, bringing her flush against him. Yi Jung pushed down a groan when she gripped his hair tighter as he sucked on her lower lip. After getting another soft moan from her, he released her lower lip and angled his head more to capture her mouth fully. His tongue danced teasingly along her parted lips, but never once advanced further. Ga Eul couldn't help the whimper she let out when she felt him pull away.

_He hadn't French kissed her… He only played with her lips… Why—?_

Feeling his forehead rest against hers, she opened her eyes and found him gazing at her with a content smile on his face.

"Sunbae…"

Yi Jung took in her glowing cheeks and faded lipstick. _Perfect._

Ga Eul's breathy whisper brought him out of his thoughts, "Sunbae… why did—"

He locked eyes with her. Knowing exactly what he did and what she would ask, he feigned ignorance and replied seriously, "I didn't like that color on you. I had to get rid of it."

Her eyes widened.

_Success. Question averted._

Then her eyes narrowed at him in suspicion, "Then why did you keep putting it on?"

"I—"

"You could've just told me! I have—"

"I said _I_ would finish your makeup. So, I needed to put a color _I_ like on you, and I think I did a good job. You don't even need that blush now."

Yi Jung winked at her and congratulated himself on his smooth response, as well as the rosy color that flooed Ga Eul's cheeks. She twisted away from him to check her compact mirror. Without giving her a chance to look, he closed in on her ear. His proximity sent a shiver down her spine as he whispered huskily, "I should just do your makeup from now on, hm, Ga Eul-yang?"

Ga Eul spun around to face him, voice higher than usual, "Sunbae! You… you don't need to do that."

Yi Jung smiled and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before murmuring, "I think it'll be necessary."

* * *

**A/N:** Hi. This was the piece that brought back my writing fever after a long summer of inactivity. First time ever writing in the universe of KDramas and Boys over Flowers, as well as for Soeulmates... might as well get some practice for my forever OTP right?

Anyway, if any of my readers for my other fics did read through this, thank you! _Hour Hand_ is on my to-do list during my writing craze and is being revised from what I wrote before. I left a cryptic note for myself for a future chapter and I'm still in the midst of trying to figure out what it is...

I'll be moving into my apartment in a week, so forgive me if an update is not up by then!

Caramel


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